Dad and stepmother wound up NOT moving into the Assisted Living facility after all. Instead, I brought Dad home to Texas with me and left stepmother in NC in her son's care. The reason? Well, at the last minute.... literally, less than an hour before we were supposed to be at the facility to start moving my Dad and Stepmother into the Goldsboro Emeritus Assisted Living , my stepbrother balked at the idea. (Stepbrother holds her health care and legal powers of attorney so, once he said "no" to the idea, there was nothing Dad or I could do about it.) Stepbrother SAID that the reasons he didn't want her going into assisted living were 1)she might not adjust to not being in her own home and 2) she would have to have a different primary care doctor because Emeritus requires that all their residents have a doctor within 10 miles of the facility. Balderdash - I think stepbrother is rationalizing a decision that he made purely because he's interested in making sure his inheritance doesn't get spent! While stepmother would have had to get a doctor of record within 10 miles of the assisted living facility in case of emergencies, there is no reason at all that she could not have continued to see her regular doctor in her home town for regular check ups. All that stepbrother would have had to do was come get her and take her to the appointments. It is only a 35 mile drive. And, as far as her not settling into AL and "wanting to go home," half the time stepmother no longer recognizes her own home even when she is sitting in her own living room surrounded by furnishings she has owned for 40 years and pictures of her children and grandchildren! At least two years ago, I was talking to my Dad on the phone when I heard her say something in the background and Dad interrupted our conversation to answer her with "Honey, we ARE at home...this is our home...look, here on the wall are pictures of your sons and here are your grandchildren and there are the baskets and quilts you made and here is our wedding picture." The same sort of thing happened at least a couple of times every single day during the month I spent with her. No matter where stepmother is, she is going to start asking to "go home." That is the nature of her disease. The real reason stepbrother balked was because he didn't want to spend that much of her monthly income on her care! Dad and Stepmother each have slightly over $3K in monthly INCOME from retirement and social security. AL would have cost for the two of them would have been $5.5 K...so by splitting the cost, neither one would have had to touch their savings. At least not until their "level of care" requirements went up. But it WOULD have taken the lion's share of their incomes so neither one would have continued to accumulate assets. And eventually, yes, they probably would have begun spending down their principals. But neither one is likely at this point to live more than another 10 years of so and each of their accumulated savings would have carried them that far. We had a 2 o'clock appointment to get them moved in. At noon, Stepbrother stopped by the house where I was packing up clothing for them and fixing them lunch. He asked Dad how HE planned to pay for Assisted Living. When Dad said that their combined incomes would cover the cost and still leave them with some spending money each month, Stepbrother replied that he didn't think that was fair and then said: "You've been living rent-free in Momma's house all these years and NOW you want her to subsidize YOUR medical care needs!!!" I asked stepbrother what he thought was fair and he said he thought Dad should foot the entire bill for the two of them because it was Dad's recent surgery that was the cause for the move! He also seemed to think that it would have been fine to hire someone under the table at $8/hr to come in for a couple of hours each day to fix a meal and "help out:" until Dad healed from his surgery and then, "things could go back to the way they have been." In other words, Dad could keep providing 24/7 care and wearing himself to a frazzle in order to save Mary's money for sons to inherit!!! Stepbrother claimed that I had been "dumping on his mother" ever since I'd been in NC and had shown no appreciation for all the time HE (stepbrother) had stepped in to help when Dad would get sick and need to go to the doctor. Basically, he appears to be in total denial that his mother now needs 24/7 care and that, at 83, even if Dad were perfectly healthy, the job is simply too much for him. Stepbrother has apparently never observed that, when the telephone rings, she is as likely to try to answer using the TV remote as to pick up the phone. He has apparently never gone thru the drawers and found half-eaten hamburgers wrapped in paper towels. He's never spent two hours trying to find his car keys after she grabbed them and moved them when his back was turned...and then, five minutes later had absolutely no recollection of having ever touched them. He has apparently never walked with her around the pond in her back yard...that has been there 60 years...and heard her say "this sure is a pretty resort, how long are we staying here?" He has not tried to go grocery shopping with her or he would realize that there is no way an 83 year old man with pulmonary fibrosis and congestive heart failure can possible grocery shop AND keep her from wondering off at the same time. He has not watched her try to cook a meal and forget what she is doing right in the middle of cooking. He has not watched her make coffee and pour both the ground coffee and the water into the back of the coffee maker. He has not had to stop her from putting food wrapped in tin foil into the microwave. He has not been awakened night after night by her wandering thru the house at 2 AM turning on lights in all the rooms and wondering agitatedly why her "boys" are not home yet. He has not set up with her till dawn patiently explaining that her boys are grown and married and living in their own homes with their own wives. And when I told him about observing these behaviors, stepbrother apparently thinks I'm exaggerating them all and that, if need be, his mother could live just fine by herself! I suspect that many of Dad's physical health issues are caused (or at least have been exacerbated) by the fact that he has been wearing himself out trying to provide 24/7 care to someone with stage 5 to stage 6 alzheimers! 5 know for a fact that I lost 15 pounds during the one month that I was in NC and developed a hacking cough that I'm still getting over! Besides that, Dad and Stepmother's agreement before they got married was that they would always split their living costs equally and that, when one of them died, whatever that one had brought into the marriage and/or saved during the marriage would go to that one's children. Each of them owned a house and, yes, she has paid the cost of the electricity, water, and utilities, taxes and insurance at her house...but Dad has paid those same costs for his house. And yes, they have stayed at her house most of the time since they married... but their original agreement was that they would live half the time at her house and half at his. The reason they wound up staying at her house 99.9% of the time was because fairly early on, Stepmother always wanted to "go home" whenever they tried to stay at Dad's lake house and he gave into her. Dad's house is much nicer and is NOT filled with the detritus of 50 years of pack-rat behavior! But Dad gave up on going there except for stopping in now and then for an hour or two to make sure all was well. He kept his lake house though because, if stepmother passed away first, he wanted to have a home of his own to move into so that her kids could have possession of her house immediately. Furthermore, since he and stepmother weren't using the lake house, he made it available for free to stepbrother and stepbrother's grown son to use for vacations whenever they wanted. None of Dad's children live close enough to take advantage of the lake house so stepbrother and his family got far more use out of it than anyone else! Stepbrother ignored all that! Up to the point that stepbrother suggested Dad had "lived off" stepmother, I had not paid any attention to how my Dad spent his money. It was his to spend and if he spent every penny before he died, that was his choice. But I KNOW my Dad and I knew that there was no way he was "living off" his wife. Since stepbrother made his accusation, I've found some of his mother's bank records that got stuck in with my Dad's things and I've been able to compare how Stepmother's assets have grown as compared to Dad's assets since they've been married, Other then their real property, both of them kept their money in savings accounts at the same credit union rather than investing it. So they were earning the same interest rate and had almost exactly the same amount of money coming in from outside sources. IF they had been splitting expenses evenly, their savings should have grown by about the same amount. But, from the records, it is evident that Dad has been paying the lion's share of their combined living expenses over the entire eight years they've been married! In eight years, her saving's account has grown from $15K to nearly $200Kwhile Dad's savings have gone from about $190K to $215K. In other words, she has saved over $180K out of $36K/year income while he has saved $25K! Who has been "living off" of whom? Before they married, she was apparently giving money away to every ne'er-do-well relative that came begging. Dad insisted that stepbrother take over handling her money shortly after two of them got married when it became evident to him that she could no longer handle her finances. Dad did not want there to EVER be any question that he had taken advantage of her! And Dad admits that he has paid for all of their food, travel, gasoline, automobile repair, medical copay's, clothing, and other daily living expense since getting stepbrother to take over her finances because he did not want to ask stepbrother for money. Yet my stepbrother still had the gall to accuse him of that very thing! You can imagine how LIVID I am! When stepbrother decided that he would not sign off on her moving into AL with him, I told my Dad that I didn't see any viable option except for him to come home with me to Texas and I was actually surprised when Dad not only agreed but didn't even argue. So, in about 2 hours time, I finished packing up all of Dad's stuff that was as her house, put it all into his van and the two of us went to his lake house and spent the night there. Then we headed for Texas the next day. That was three weeks ago. Dad is resting and recuperating. Today he and my husband and I are celebrating a quiet Christmas together. Next week my youngest brother is coming and bringing the two grandbabies to see their grandpa. My brothers and I are ecstatic to have Dad safely home where I can keep an eye on him and he can spend quality time with us. Even when he and stepmother came to visit - or one of us would go visit them - we could never really have much of a conversation because Dad's attention was always focused on what Stepmother needed. So, stepbrother actually did me a huge favor by balking on letting his mother move into Assisted Living. The only downside is that we have no way now of KNOWING if stepbrother is actually providing someone to look after his mother 24/7 as she needs or is leaving her in her home alone for hours at a time. I hope and pray that he is providing proper care and supervision because it would be absolutely horrible if she hurt herself trying to cook a meal or wandered off and got lost in the middle of the night because of his negligence. If he is providing proper care, I suspect that he is quickly going to find that it is costing him far more to pay someone on an hourly basis - even doing so "under the table" and at less than minimum wage, than her half of assisted living would have cost. Maybe stepbrother will come to his senses but if not, no matter how healthy my Dad manages to get, there is no way I'm going to allow him to step back into 24/7 care-giving duties...even if I have to have Dad declared incompetent! Thanks for listening. And please pray for all of us.

Thanks newdawn and natal. I am trying to not research this too much online. It is frustrating because there are so many causes of neuropathy, and my doctor told me that about 25% of cases no cause is ever found. The thing that really kind of freaked me out is that the doctor found that I have neuropathy in both my feet. I thought that it was just my left foot, where I had previous nerve damage from a disc problem in my back I had years ago.

DHEA Facts long but very good info, read before you do any thing toyour body There are thousands of books and medical journals written on the subject of DHEA, so we will attempt to explain the facts in an easy to understand way, so you can better understand what is truth and what is fiction to help you make better choices about your health care. Dihydroepiandrosterone "DHEA" DHEA is a naturally occurring steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands by both men and women, and it's the most abundant steroid hormone in the bloodstream. We are all born with natural DHEA, and our bodies continue to produce it on a daily basis, depending upon our physical circumstances. DHEA plays a key role in our physiological functions, and without it we cannot survive. There is much confusion and twisting of the facts regarding true DHEA naturally produced by our own body, and the synthetic drug which has been given a trade name of DHEA. We will call true DHEA "DHEA", and the synthetic drug "synthetic DHEA". We will touch base on that shortly, but in the meantime we will discuss some of the aspects of true DHEA, naturally produced by your own body. DHEA is the Mother Hormone DHEA IS CALLED THE "MOTHER HORMONE" for both men and women because it can be converted into other hormones the body needs on an as-need-be basis. For example: If your testosterone levels are too low, your DHEA hormone will naturally convert itself into more testosterone. The same holds true for estrogen, melatonin and most all other hormones. For this reason DHEA is called a regulator, because as your body naturally seeks to balance itself (i.e. the correct ratio of estrogen, testosterone, etc.), your DHEA hormone will naturally convert itself into whatever hormone your body happens to be low on. Healthy levels of DHEA are essential for the proper balance of all your other hormones. It acts as a universal hormone reservoir that supplies your body with whatever hormones are lacking, so as to keep your body in proper balance. (Dr. W. Regelson, a noted researcher, calls DHEA "The Mother Hormone, because the body can convert it into whatever it needs"). Because of the ability of the DHEA hormone to convert itself into other hormones, medical science has taken a huge interest, and billions of dollars have been spent in the research of this subject. If an individual's DHEA levels were healthy enough, there would be no need for estrogen, or testosterone, melatonin or other hormone replacements, as the DHEA hormone would naturally supply your body with whatever hormone your body happened to be lacking. Since your body is highly sensitive and brilliantly designed to heal and balance itself, your DHEA hormone naturally, instinctively supplies your body with the exact amount of hormone that it needs in order to achieve maximum balance. If you're a man and you have healthy levels of DHEA, your body will manufacture the proper amount of testosterone. If you're a woman and need more estrogen, your DHEA hormone will naturally provide your body with what it needs to function properly. Health Benefits DHEA is essential to sustain life, and there are numerous health benefits to having healthy levels of natural DHEA. Dr. Arthur Schwartz of the Temple University School of Medicine says that "DHEA appears to block the growth of carcinogens". A study at Johns Hopkins University shows that "DHEA is a very effective anti-obesity agent". Julian Whitaker, M.D. says, "DHEA is the closest we can come to the fountain of youth", and "The main thing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and chronic fatigue have in common is low levels of DHEA". We could go on and on about all the research, study and testing that shows multitudes of health benefits to having high levels of DHEA. But that's not such a great mystery, as you can find that information just about anywhere. Our goal is to reveal the mysteries as to why DHEA levels decrease, and more importantly why they increase. DHEA Levels DHEA levels are known to fall precipitously with age, falling 90% from age 20 to age 90. But this is only a superficial analysis, as there are many other variables involved that deplete one's DHEA levels. We have discovered that several people at younger ages had much lower levels than individuals who were older. One person who was in his early 20s worked for the electric company, and had dangerously low DHEA levels - much lower than people in their 70s. We discovered that being exposed to massive amounts of electricity was actually draining his DHEA to very dangerously low levels. We also observed several people who had relatively high DHEA levels, then suddenly over a 2 week period began decreasing dramatically. Because we personally knew these people and were able to monitor their DHEA-S blood levels, we were able to find out what they did that changed them. Everyone who had been taking high dosages of therapeutic vitamin C had lost significant amounts of DHEA. We discovered that manufactured vitamin C can be effective at cleansing the cells of toxic substances and helping to flush them out of the system. The problem with too much Vitamin C is that it also strips the body of nutrients, minerals, amino acids, and yes - it lowers DHEA. It acts like Drano on the system. It's a good way to clean out your pathways, but it can also create other problems in the process. DHEA and the Cells The interrelationship between DHEA and the cells is obviously very important. Our cells absorb nutrition and oxygen, which feeds our DHEA, progesterone and other hormones with the fuel they need to function properly. But when the cells are surrounded with too much waste material, it has a smothering effect which prevents the cells from absorbing what they need. Furthermore, toxic materials, such as air pollution, pesticides, synthetic residue left behind from various drugs can cause more serious damage to our cells. Toxic material is called free radicals, on a molecular level. Free radicals are unstable molecules that smash into the walls of our cells and eat them away. Free radicals are the molecular substance that causes metal to rust, food to decay and cancers to develop. Because of the toxins in our systems, we generally have a certain amount of free radicals that surround our cells, which prevents them from providing much needed energy to help the adrenals produce DHEA, not to mention all the other aspects relating to our health. Therefore, in order to substantially boost natural levels of DHEA, the cleansing of the cells has to be addressed. Providing nutrients to the cells is important, but if the cells cannot absorb properly, then much of the nutrients will be consumed in vain. DHEA & Progesterone Without enough natural progesterone in the body, extra stress will be put on the DHEA hormone. This can not only deplete it, but put undue stress on the adrenal glands, as the synthesis of cortisones is impaired. The body may then turn to an alternative pathway via adrenal production of androstenedione produced by fat in the body, which has androgenic side effects, causing long facial hairs on postmenopausal women and thinning of their scalp hair. When natural progesterone is supplemented, it is quite common to witness the disappearance of facial hair on women, and the return of healthy scalp hair. Therefore, natural progesterone is a key factor in the production and maintenance of healthy, natural DHEA. In a sense, the DHEA hormone indirectly draws the substance it needs from progesterone, and progesterone draws the substance it needs from the cells. Provided the cells are healthy, the body should naturally produce enough DHEA and progesterone to function properly. When progesterone levels are healthy, DHEA levels are also healthy. So we must also address the importance of progesterone when seeking to boost and maintain healthy levels of DHEA. Natural progesterone should not be confused with the synthetic progestins promoted by the pharmaceutical industry, and so often prescribed by physicians as progesterone substitutes. The truth is that these synthetic versions do not duplicate natural progesterone's full spectrum of benefits, and all carry multiple potential undesirable side effects. Progesterone is an important precursor in the biosynthesis of adrenal corticosteroids and of all the sex hormones, and provides many important intrinsic physiological functions, the lack of which can lead to symptoms often associated with aging as well. Unfortunately, all too many men are confused in thinking that progesterone is only a female hormone, but on the contrary, natural progesterone is a vital hormone that plays a key role in the health of both men and women. However, like natural DHEA, the question is how to boost natural progesterone to healthy levels for both men and women safely, with no side effects. Once again the answer is with safe and natural nutrition. Synthetic DHEA Synthetic DHEA is not true DHEA, but rather a chemically altered steroid drug. The molecules in synthetic DHEA are manufactured so as to imitate a real DHEA molecule, and in some respects it does share some of the characteristics. But it's not the same as your own DHEA, and yes there are many negative side effects. It's important to note that synthetic DHEA is a combination of synthetic chemicals that are toxic to the body, and these toxins remain in the body for a very long period of time. This toxic residue builds up, and has to go somewhere, so it rests in various parts of the body and becomes free radicals which destroy the cells. You can also overdose on synthetic DHEA because of the toxicity. The facts concerning synthetic DHEA and wild yam have been twisted, which has brought forth some confusion. I would like to shine some light on this subject in hopes of helping you understand. Wild yam in itself is a nutritional product that can provide many health benefits. Provided a good quality product is used and it is extracted properly, wild yam can be very beneficial and very safe, with no known side effects. The wild yam in Super-Plus is combined with natural amino acids. However, the wild yam in synthetic DHEA is combined with unnatural, synthetic chemical steroid drugs. The wild yam may be good, but the synthetic compounds are not. Many synthetic DHEA products use wild yam in their formula, which can confuse people. They say it's natural, when in fact the product as a whole is not natural, but dangerously synthetic. The wild yam part of synthetic DHEA in and of itself is no problem, but it is combined with synthetic compounds, which are the problem. It's the synthetic additives that make synthetic DHEA a very dangerous product that is known to have side effects, and yes the wild yam part of the product is great, but not the synthetic additives. I've heard some sales people call synthetic DHEA "natural", when in fact it says right on their ingredients list that it includes synthetic compounds. "A little leaven spoils the whole loaf", and a little synthetic additive can make a product very bad for your health. It's not a great mystery that synthetic DHEA is dangerous steroid drug, as many medical reports have been published and aired on national television media networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, reporting numerous side effects of synthetic DHEA, that range from cancer, liver and kidney infection, to depression, dizziness, headaches, etc. A Closer Look at Super-Plus The difference between a DHEA Precursor and synthetic DHEA, which has been given the trade name "DHEA", is this - a DHEA precursor simply stimulates the body into producing its own natural DHEA. A precursor means a substance which precedes another substance, as in the case of a lemon stimulating saliva - a lemon could also be called a saliva precursor. Super-Plus is called a DHEA precursor because it successfully stimulates the body into producing its own natural DHEA, whereas synthetic DHEA is a chemical steroid drug manufactured to imitate the DHEA molecule. Do not confuse Super-Plus all natural DHEA precursor with the synthetic drug. Diosgenin is the Main Active Ingredient Found in Wild Yam Wild yam is known to boost natural progesterone and DHEA. Of all the different herbs, fruits and vegetables on our planet, wild yam is known to contain the highest concentration of the phytonutrients necessary for boosting the production of natural progesterone and DHEA. There are approximately 256 species of wild yam, and one of them happens to be the most appropriate for this purpose. It's important to mention that our product, Super-Plus, or any kind of wild yam in general does not convert to DHEA. The nutrients rather provide a nutritional food source to the bloodstream, which in turn stimulates the production of progesterone and natural DHEA. Like biting into a lemon stimulates the glands into producing saliva, the nutrients from the wild yam stimulate the adrenal glands into producing natural progesterone and DHEA. Remember, it's not synthetic DHEA, but natural DHEA that your body is producing, which is very important. Reports about negative side effects from DHEA are not concerning your own natural DHEA, but from the synthetic drug. Furthermore, the nutrients from the wild yam are not forcing the production of DHEA, but rather the body itself is drawing from the nutrients in order to create more natural DHEA. If in fact the body has enough DHEA and doesn't need to produce any more, then it will not produce any more, no matter how much wild yam is consumed. It is the body itself that determines how much DHEA it needs, and if it is low then it will naturally draw from the wild yam nutrients and produce more. This is why you can't overdose on natural wild yam, provided the nutrients are pure, clean and extracted properly. Obstacles to Overcome The obstacles to overcome in using natural sources of nutrition to boost DHEA include delivering sufficient amounts of the phytonutrient from the wild yam, known as diosgenin, to the bloodstream, and insuring that the cells will be clean enough to absorb it. There are several other basic issues, such as using a high enough quality of the wild yam itself, and of course extracting the purest hearts of the nutrients. But these problems were not that difficult to overcome, as Super-Plus is manufactured by one of the largest herbal manufacturers in the world, and they have the technology to properly extract the nutrients. Getting the actual pill to dissolve in the body so it could be metabolized is important, but that also wasn't difficult to accomplish. The major concern was bypassing the liver, as most all products consumed travel through the liver before reaching the bloodstream, and the liver neutralizes approximately 95% of the active ingredients. This means only 5% of the active ingredient from the wild yam would remain effective enough to provide the much-needed nutrients to the cells, therefore compromising the ability of the adrenal glands to produce significant amounts of DHEA. Then, even if the proper nutrients could be delivered to the cells, we still had the problem of the dirty cells. If the cells were too smothered with various toxins, free radicals and waste material, the nutrients would not be absorbed. These are some of the reasons many physicians turn to the use of synthetic DHEA, as they know that most all natural wild yam products are virtually ineffective - but because of all the negative side effects caused by synthetic DHEA it would be better to take your chances on low DHEA levels or try to eat better nutrition than to put artificial synthetic DHEA in your system. In either case, our goal was to find a way to use natural ingredients to boost natural DHEA safely so that we wouldn't have to suffer any side effects. We wanted to make a product so safe that even small children could consume it on a regular basis with no side effects. Super-Plus has been tried & tested for Over 7 Years Thanks be to the Most High, who created our bodies in the first place, as well as all the herbs, fruits and vegetables that we consume; and thanks to several physicians, scientists, researchers and our manufacturer, who had the technology necessary to put it all together, who helped us overcome the obstacles and produce a formula that accomplished its objective. After Super-Plus was produced, it was tested on several individuals, and while the results varied - as did the circumstances - they were incredible. One of our clients' DHEA-S blood level was 51 nanograms (ng), and after 2 1/2 months of consuming Super-Plus, her DHEA-S blood level rose to 1206 ng. Not all of our clients' DHEA-S levels had risen that high, but they were still very substantial. The Delivery System In order to cause the active ingredients from the wild yam to remain pure, effective and potent when it reaches the bloodstream, we had to design a new innovative delivery system that would bypass the liver on the first rapid pass so as to avoid the neutralization process which would otherwise make approximately 95% of the active ingredients ineffective. Therefore, thanks be to our amino acid specialist, we incorporated 3 branch chain amino acids into the formula. There are approximately 40 different types of amino acids, and of these different types of amino acids, 3 happen to serve our purposes: L-ISOLEUCINE, L-LEUCINE and L-VALINE. These three branch chain amino acids are "free form" pharmaceutical grade amino acids. The "L" means Levo, or "instant" from a biochemical sense, to the body for immediate use. And they just happen to have a different transport system. Instead of traveling through the liver on the first rapid pass, these 3 amino acids travel directly to the skeletal muscles, where they perform protein synthesis. Normally, when we consume food or other products, enzymatic breakdown first occurs in the mouth, then in the stomach, after which absorption takes place in the intestines. The primary factor for poor utilization is not in the absorption per se, but in the way the macromolecule is broken down into micromolecules in the liver. Most all foods consumed go through the intestines to the hepatic (liver) circulation through what is known as rapid first pass filtration. This process is designed to break down complex molecules into usable, absorbable forms. The problems associated with most nutritional products is that they are broken down by the extensive, rapid first pass filtration. Therefore most other nutritional products' active ingredients are destroyed in the liver rendering them unavailable as a whole molecule. Super-Plus has overcome the rapid destruction in the liver by utilizing a patented Branch Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) Transport mechanism. The Super-Plus product is absorbed through the specific branch chain amino acid pathways which bypass the liver and go directly into the skeletal muscles where metabolism of the BCAA takes place, leaving the active ingredients intact. The active ingredients then join the confluence of blood vessels surrounding the muscle tissue to enter the systemic circulation, thus stimulating the adrenal cortex (Zona Faciculata) to produce DHEA. To make it really easy to understand, picture a truck as being the amino acid and the wild yam as the trailer. The truck (amino acids) haul the trailer (wild yam) directly to the bloodstream, and then it separates, leaving the wild yam to be absorbed into the bloodstream and immediately metabolized. This bypassing of the liver means that 95% of the active ingredient won't be destroyed in the liver, but virtually all of the nutrients will remain effective. Because of the delivery system alone, the nutrients in Super-Plus are several times more effective than in most all other nutritional products. Cleansing the Cells Cleansing the cells properly is also an extremely important aspect to the success of the formula, because once we were able to get the nutrient to the metabolism, we still had to insure that the cells would be able to absorb it. And in order to accomplish this we had to address the toxins and free radicals that smother the cells, which prevent them from absorbing the nutrients. There we examined the different types of natural antioxidants, (nutritional supplements designed to cleanse the cells). Therapeutic vitamin C in high doses could cleanse the cells, but it also strips the body of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, and it lowers DHEA. Furthermore, manufactured vitamin C in high doses can have negative side effects. Thanks be to our manufacturers and other researchers, who had been working with us in the development of Super-Plus, as they helped shed light on a natural product called Pychnogenol. Flushing out Free Radicals RED GRAPE SKIN EXTRACT is the most potent form of Proanthacyanadin (Pychnogenol) available, and as such traps hydroxyl free radicals, traps lipid peroxides and free radicals, and markedly delays the onset of lipid peroxidation. To make it simple, what this does is to cleanse the cells of the toxic material that has a smothering effect. We also incorporate other Pychnogenols in our formula, such as grape seed and other natural ingredients designed to cleanse the cells, so they can take on more oxygen and nutrients. In so doing, we were able to insure that the cells would absorb much more of the much needed phytonutrients from the wild yam, thus they would have enough nutritional energy to sufficiently produce DHEA and progesterone (not to mention all the other health benefits associated with cleaner cells). Pychnogenol is reported as being up to 20 times more effective than vitamin C when it comes to dislodging free radicals and flushing them out of our system. But equally as important, if not more so is the safety factor. Proanthacyanadin, provided it's extracted properly, is the safest natural antioxidant known because it doesn't strip the body of essential nutrients - and it doesn't lower DHEA. Other Benefits There are several other nutritional ingredients incorporated into our formula to aid and assist in the delivery system, cleansing of the cells, strengthening the immune system, boosting of natural DHEA and progesterone, and render many other health benefits as well. You can find them on our Super-Plus page. These additional ingredients help explain some of the reasons why Super-Plus is so successful at boosting natural DHEA and progesterone safely. In fact, Super-Plus is U.S. RDA recommended for adults and children 4 years of age and older. The True Healer Please keep in mind that Super-Plus is not the real healer. In truth it's your own healing mechanism that does it. Thank God for our incredible healing mechanisms and for all the nutritional food we need to keep our bodies healthy. Super-Plus is a very specialized combination of nutritional herbs, fruit and vegetable extracts that are of the highest quality. The purest hearts of the best ingredients are extracted in such a way so as to provide the cleanest, safest and most concentrated phytonutrients, natural antioxidants and amino acids necessary to cleanse the cells, and boost the production of natural DHEA and progesterone. Other ingredients are designed to aid and assist in this process, including other natural ingredients, which boost the immune system, help with digestion, and numerous other nutritional health aids for the purpose of helping your body repair itself at the cellular level. It's your own body that does the healing, Super-Plus simply provides your body with the best source of nutrition to do what it does best. The Manufacturing Process of Super-Plus is Essential There is only one manufacturer of Super-Plus, because they have the experience, technology, reputation and resources necessary to extract the purest hearts of the phytonutrients and synergistically blend the amino acids with the wild yam molecules and other essential ingredients. Their quality control procedures are impeccable, and they have the technology necessary to perform all the necessary tasks which guarantee maximum effectiveness and safety. The red grape skin, Pychnogenols and other cell cleansing ingredients must be extracted properly and blended properly in order for the product to work. There are many aspects involved with the manufacturing of Super-Plus, and each step must be preformed with the greatest care, and because of this we have chosen the largest manufacturer of herbal products in the world to produce Super-Plus on our behalf. For over 7 years the Super-Plus formula has been thoroughly tested and found to be so safe, that even small children can consume it on a daily basis with no known side effects. CONCLUSION Our Creator designed our bodies with an incredible healing mechanism. Our immune systems and hormones are nothing short of miraculous, especially when you consider all the germs, viruses, diseases and pollutants we are exposed to. Thank God our bodies are designed to heal themselves at the cellular level, and to fight off most all the poisons that we inevitably ingest from the air we breath, food we eat, water we drink and the countless synthetic medications that most of us put into our bodies from time to time. Yes, even though we cannot avoid ingesting various pollutants that make us sick, which lower our natural DHEA and immune system, our bodies are still able to repair themselves. Even though stress and the environment can cause a smothering effect to our cells, weakening them and depleting our natural levels of DHEA, which in turn throws our other hormones off balance, our adrenal glands are still able to produce just enough DHEA to survive. There is a time however, when our bodies have reached a point of no return, in which our immune system and ability to produce DHEA is just so far gone that very little can be done to save it. While Super-Plus is not magic, it can give the body a very strong fighting chance. If the health problem has not gone too far, Super-Plus can significantly help the body recover. Continue Home Page Introduction Super-Plus Blood Tests Medical Testimonials Kids' Page Q&A Product Foreign Company Contact Us Order E-Mail Download Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.levo.com/dhea_facts.htm

Most publications and on-line information say to use 25% less agave nectar than sugar called for (3/4 c. agave nectar for each 1 c. sugar), but I've found I can use much less than that in most cases. It depends on other ingredients and what part (food science) the sweetener plays in the type of food. If there are sweet ingredients or spices, you can often use less agave nectar than 25%. In this wholegrain banana bread recipe - I use 1/4 c. agave nectar. BANANA-POPPY SEED BREAD 1 c. mashed banana 1/4 c. agave nectar (OR 1/2 c. sugar) 1/2 c. milk (I use homemade kefir) 3 T. vegetable oil 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 c. all-purpose flour (I use wholegrain spelt flour) 1 c. whole wheat flour 2 t. baking powder 2 T. poppy seeds (I substitute whole amaranth for an additional whole grain that is high in protein. They look like golden poppy seeds in the bread.) 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. cinnamon vegetable cooking spray Combine the bananas and agave nectar (or sugar) in a small bowl; stir well. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk, oil, and egg; set the mixture aside. Combine flours and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Make a well in center of mixture; add banana mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Spoon into 8-1/2x4-1/2x3-inch loaf pan (NOT a 9x5-inch pan usually used for quick breads) coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool on a rack. Grainlady Note: I like to bake quick breads in a Danish Loaf pan (aka Tea Loaf Pan - see link below). It's longer and more narrow (12" x 4" x 2 1/2" pan holds the equivalent of a 9" x 5" loaf pan) with playing-card sized servings. It's easier to slice very thin slices from this type pan - important when control portion sizes. Plus, it bakes 25% faster than a 9x5 pan. -------------------- WACKY CAKE (a frosting-free snack cake) 1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour (soft wheat, or whole wheat pastry flour OR 1-1/2 c. + 2 T. spelt flour) 1 t. soda 1/2 t. salt 3 T. cocoa powder (can eliminate) 1 T. vinegar 2 t. vanilla 5 T. butter, melted 2/3 c. agave nectar 1/3 c. cold water Mix ingredients in an 8-inch square pan in this order: -Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. -Make 3 holes evenly spaced apart in dry ingredients. -In first hole, put vinegar. In second hole, the vanilla. In third hole, melted butter. Mix water and agave nectar together and pour over all the cake ingredients. Stir well, using a dinner fork or spatula (be sure no dry ingredients remain in corners). Bake at 325°F for 30-35 minutes. One serving - 1/16 of cake (cut the cake into 16 pieces). For spice cake: Omit the cocoa and add 1/2 t. Penzeys Cake Spice (www.penzeys.com). A mixture of: China cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves. -------------------------------- Other agave nectar goodies (my original recipes): COCONUT ALMOND CANDY Melt: 2 T. butter in a frying pan Add: 1/2 c. long-shred UNsweetened coconut 1/2 c. chopped raw almonds Over medium heat, cook until the ingredients begin to brown. CAUTION - this will burn easily. Remove from heat. Add: 2-3 T. agave nectar 1 t. almond flavoring Stir well. Place in small paper candy cups. (I use a 100 size portion scoop for this - approx. 1 teaspoon.) Cool in a refrigerator at least 1/2 hour to set. Yield: approx. 20 pieces. PROTEIN PEANUT BUTTER BALLS 1/2 c. whey powder (vanilla flavor) 1/2 c. peanut butter 2 T. agave nectar 1 t. vanilla or almond flavoring Mix thoroughly with a dinner fork. *If desired, add 1/2 to 3/4 c. crisp wholegrain rice cereal to the dough. Roll into small (3/4 to 1-inch) balls. *Toppings - Melt 1/2 c. chocolate chips and drizzle over the top. You can also dip the balls in a little agave nectar and then dip in chopped roasted almonds or toasted unsweetened coconut. ---------------------- VANILLA ICE CREAM 4 oz. EGG BEATERS (DO NOT substitute raw eggs) 1/4 c. agave nectar 1 c. Half & Half 2 c. cream 1-1/2 t. vanilla In a 4-cup measuring cup or equal-sized bowl, combine Egg Beaters, agave nectar and vanilla and stir to mix. Add cream and half and half. Chill thoroughly in the freezer (just until ice crystals start to form on the edge. Process in an ice cream maker of choice AGAVE NECTAR CHOCOLATE SYRUP 1/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa Powder 1/2 c. agave nectar 1/2 c. cold water Mix, with a whisk (it takes a bit of mixing to get it smooth). Store in refrigerator. Serving: 1/2 c. ice cream and 1 T. cocolate syrup -Grainlady